Photographic camera.



No. 795,953. PATBNTED AUG. 1, 1905.

F. BLANPAIN.

,PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA.

APPLICATION FILED nmzv, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 795,953. PATENTBD AUG. 1, 1905.

F. BLANPAIN.

* PHOTOGRAPHIG CAMERA.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.27, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inn/672,30 7.

PATENTBD AUG. 1. 1905.

RELANPAIN. PHOTOGRAPHIG CAMERA.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 27,1904.

4 sHnn'TssHmT 3.

mew n nun/woo. rmmlmmnanmms WMNINGTON. nc

,PATENTED AUG. 1', 1905.

IF. BLANPAIN. .PHOTOGRAPHIG CAMERA.

Arrmcumunmm 1:20.27. 1004,

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

fawn 50v,

WI)? asses. I

UNITED STATES FELICIEN BLANPAIN, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA.

Application filed December 27, 1904. Serial No. 238,404.

To all whom, iv may concern.-

Be it known that I, FELIOIEN BLANPAIN, draftsman, a subject of the Kingof Belgium, residing at 11 Rue Dumonceau, in the city'of Brussels,Kingdom of Belgium, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inand Connected with Photographic Cameras; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to letters or figures of reference marked therein, which form a partof this specification.

My invention relates to photographic cameras; and it consists in avariety of novel features, details, and combinations hereinafterexplained in the specification and set forth in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying this description, Figure l is a verticalsectional View of the apparatus, showing the parts extended and readyfor use. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View showing the parts folded.Fig. 3 is a detail side View of the retaining and releasing mechanismfor the mirror and shutter. Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section of theretaining and releasing mechanism of the mirror. Fig. 5 is a rearelevation, partly in section, a portion of the shutter being brokenaway. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the apparatus with the parts in thepositions shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of the scaleattached to the shutter, and Fig. 8 is an end view of the casing for thescale.

Although the best results are obtainable by a mirror apparatus, theobjections to its use in field photography and the like are its greatweightand dimensions, so that both amateurs and professionalphotographers hesitate to adopt it, and owing to various objections suchapparatus have hitherto had a comparatively narrow field of application.

It is the purpose of the present invention to remove these defects andextend the range of usefulness of such apparatus.

Prominent among the objects sought are to reduce to about one-third thevolume and weight of mirror apparatus as heretofore constructed toprovide for the use of either plateholders ormagazines for films.

These objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanyingdrawings, which contemplate providing a blind or shutter withSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

two rollers and mounting the rollers at the rear to leave between themsufficient space for the reception of a magazine for films or a holderfor plates, in constructing and arranging the several parts so that theymay be assembled into a small space, most of said parts performing adouble function, and in' arranging the mirror and shutter in such amanner as to operate either in the direction of the length or of thewidth of the plate, or in both directions.

The apparatus consists of a casing composed of two side pieces 1 1,supporting an upper receptacle 2 and a lower receptacle 3, in which theshutter-operating mechanism is inclosed, and between said receptacles isformed a space i for the reception of the plateholder or magazine forfilm. A main supporting element B is pivoted between said sides, nearthe upper rear part thereof, and to the under face of the support, at ornear its front end, is hinged a plate H, having an aperture 5, adaptedto receive and hold the camera-lens. The lens-plate H holds thesupporting element B in operative position, and

the former is supported by means of pivotallyconnected links I and I,which are pivoted'on the inside of the sides 1 and sides of plate H,respectively. A large bellows A, open at the top, is preferably attachedto the bottom and the two sides of the lensplate H by any approved meansand at its rear to the inside of the side pieces 1 and to the front ofthe lower receptacle 8. On the rear part of the support B are mountedbearings B, in which a spindle E is journaled, carrying a focusingmirrorC. This spindle is provided with a handle T, Figs. 3, and 6, by whichthe mirror is rotated within the bellows, as will be hereinafterexplained. A spring D is preferably secured at one end to the support Babove the spindle E and at its other end to the free end of the mirror,normally holding the latter on a seat 6, formed in the support. Thesupport B is further provided with an opening 6, covered by aground-glass plate F, upon which an image reflected by the mirror 0 isthrown when the latter is in the position for focusing, as shown in Fig.1.

A plate G is hinged to the support B at the front edge of the opening I)and serves as one side of a focusing-bellows F, which incloses theground glass F. focusing-bellows is attached in any convenient manneraround the edge of the glass, and

The lower edge of the said bellows is automatically opened and helddistended by a ring fastened at an angle to the plate (i and to the topedge of said bellows. This plate G forms the greater portion of thecamera-box front, a part of the support B forming the remainingportions, while an extension Ur, hinged to the plate G, forms the top byturning down and resting upon a flange G on the front of the upperreceptacle 2, the flange looking into a groove ;r" on the under face ofthe extension. The lens-plate H forms the bottom when the apparatus isclosed, as shown in Fig. 2.

The shutter-carrying rollers K and K are mounted in the upper and lowerreceptacles 2 and 3, respectively, and as their operating mechanismforms no part of my present invention it need not be described indetail.

In unfolding the apparatus the top or extension G is released from theflange G and automatically extended and held in the same longitudinalplane as the plate G by a spring 7, the plate G being simultaneouslyraised and held in position by a similar spring g, holding the bellows Fdistended, as shown in Fig. 6. The support B is then swung up into ahorizontal position, carrying the lens-plate with it, distending thebellows A, these-parts being held in position by the pivoted links I andl. The mirror is then positioned for focusing by rotating the spindle Eby depressing the handle T in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 6. Tohold the mirror in position at exactly forty-five degrees in the rightangle formed by the sensitized plate and the ground glass and lock it inthat position against the action of the spring D, I provide a tooth Z onthe handle, which when the mirror reaches the right position is engagedby a stop V, mounted on an arm V, pivoted at o to the casing and adaptedto swing into the path of the tooth. The tooth Z is adjustable on thehandle by means of the screw Z to permit of a perfect adjustment of themirror. To release the tooth from the catch V, I provide a slide U,mounted to reciprocate on a pin a, projecting from the casing through aslot in the slide. One end of the slide projects beyond the side of thecasing, by means of which it is manipulated, and the other end isconnected with the swinging arm V in any suitable manner. \Vhen the stopand tooth are in engagement, the slide is in the position shown in Figs.3 and 6, and by pushing the slide in the arm V is carried with it,moving the stop out of the path of the tooth Z. As soon as the handle Tis released the mirror is thrown up by the action of the spring I),carrying the handle with it, and a tappet T on the handle engages a lugm on a pawl M and throws the latter out of engagement with ratchet l,mounted on one end of the shaft K, which operates the shutter N throughthe medium of a spring K on shaft K.

The operation of my invention has already been sufficiently described inconnection with the foregoing description of form and arrangement ofparts.

\Vhat I therefore claim as novel, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. In a camera of the character described, a casing comprising twosides, bellows-supports adapted to form the front of the casing, and alens-support adapted to form the bottom of said casing.

2. In a camera of the character described, a casing comprising two sidepieces, a bellows-support pivoted to the latter, a focusingbellowssupport hinged to the bellows-support, a lens-support hinged to thelatter, said bellows-supports adapted to form the front of the casingand the lens-support the bottom of the casing.

3. In a camera of the character described, a casing comprising two sidepieces, a bellows-support pivoted to the latter, a focusing bellows anda lens-support carried by the bellows-support, a bellows connected tothe lenssupport, a focusing-mirror in the bellows, and means for holdingthe bellows-support ex tended.

I. In a camera of the character described, a casing comprising two sidepieces, a main bellows, a support therefor pivoted between the sides, afocusing-bellows, a support for the latter carried by the aforesaidsupport, a focusing-mirror pivoted to swing in the main bellows, alens-support carried by the mainbellows support and secured to itsbellows, and links hinged to the sides and to the lenssupport, for thepurpose specified.

5. A camera of the character described, comprising two sides,shutter-operating mechanism supported thereby, a main bellows, a supporttherefor pivoted between said sides,a glass in said support, afocusing-bellows inclosing said glass, a support for thefocusing-bellows carried by the first-named support, a focusing mirrorpivotally mounted on the first-named support, means for normally holdingthe mirror against the support and means for locking the mirror infocusing position.

6. A camera of the characterdescribed comprising two sides, receptaclesfor the shutteroperating mechanism mounted on the sides to form a spacefor the reception of a plateholder, a main bellows, a support thereforcarried by the sides, a focusing-mirror pivoted on the support adaptedto swing in the bellows, means for normally holding the mirror againstthe support, a glass seated in the support, a focusing-bellows inclosingsaid glass, a support for the focusingbellows hinged to the aforesaidsupport, means for locking the mirror in focusing relation to the glass,and mechanism for operating the mirror and shutter-operating mechanism.

7. In a photographic camera and in combination with a casing and a mainsupporting element mounted therein, a focusing-bellows and platetherefor mounted on the main sup port, and means for automaticallyunfolding the bellows when the front is raised.

8. Iii-a photographic camera and in combination with; a casing, and amain supporting element pi-voted therein, a focusing-bellows and asupporting-plate therefor, and an extension on the supporting-plateadapted to fold lg'ack and close the upper part of the apparatus whenthe parts are assembled.

9. In a folclable camera, the combination oted within and extensiblebeyond the same, a bellows carried by the support, and a f0-cusing-mirror mounted on the support and operating in the bellows andadapted to swing down into the casing.

12. In a foldable camera, thecombination with a rigid casing, of asupport pivoted therein and adapted to swing beyond the same, a bellowscarried by the support, a focusingmirror pivoted within the casing andadapted to swing beyond the same in the bellows, a seat on the supportfor the mirror, means to hold the latter on its seat, means to lock itoff its seat, a focusing-plate fixed in the support, a focusing-bellows,and a support therefor carried by the aforesaid support.

In'testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FELICIEN BLANPAIN. Witnesses:

Vlo'ron LEONARD, -EUG11NE VANDENPLAS.

